US Holiday 2022 Retail Returns

Extended Shopping Season and Changing Consumer Behavior Bring New Pressures

Report by Sky Canaves  | Mar 1, 2023
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Overall return rates are declining, but the 2022 holiday season saw a bump in ecommerce returns.
A perfect storm of factors fueled increased returns during the 2022 holiday season.
Retailers are responding by changing their ecommerce return policies.
Third-party drop-off locations became consumers’ top choice for ecommerce returns.
How retailers can prepare for another increase in returns during the 2023 holiday season.
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
Deal-seeking by consumers, heavy discounting from retailers, and a longer holiday shopping season drove an uptick in returns during the 2022 holiday season. Retailers will need to plan their promotional calendars carefully to manage returns in 2023.
Topics
Holiday & Seasonal Shopping
Digital Shoppers & Buyers
Consumer Behavior
United States
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Overall return rates are declining, but the 2022 holiday season saw a bump in ecommerce returns.
A perfect storm of factors fueled increased returns during the 2022 holiday season.
Retailers are responding by changing their ecommerce return policies.
Third-party drop-off locations became consumers’ top choice for ecommerce returns.
How retailers can prepare for another increase in returns during the 2023 holiday season.
Sources
Media Gallery

Executive Summary

Deal-seeking by consumers, heavy discounting by retailers, and an extended holiday shopping period that starts in early October all contributed to an uptick in holiday returns in 2022. Similar conditions are expected in 2023, so retailers need to plan carefully to limit the impact of returns.

Key Question: What factors drove the increase in retail returns during the 2022 holiday season, and what’s the outlook for 2023?

Share of US Retail Ecommerce Orders Returned, Oct 2021-Jan 2023 (% of total retail ecommerce orders)
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KEY STAT: At least 10% of orders were returned each week from November 2022 to mid-January 2023, per Salesforce data, as US shoppers returned more—and earlier—than in the previous holiday season.

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Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. Overall return rates are declining, but the 2022 holiday season saw a bump in ecommerce returns.
  3. A perfect storm of factors fueled increased returns during the 2022 holiday season.
  1. Retailers are responding by changing their ecommerce return policies.
  2. Third-party drop-off locations became consumers’ top choice for ecommerce returns.
  3. How retailers can prepare for another increase in returns during the 2023 holiday season.
  1. Sources
  2. Media Gallery

Charts in This Report

Share of US Retail Ecommerce Orders Returned, Oct 2021-Jan 2023 (% of total retail ecommerce orders)US Retail Ecommerce Return Volume, 2020-2026 (billions, % change, and % total ecommerce sales)
Impact of Inflation/Economic Conditions on Returns According to US Shoppers, by Age, Sep 2022 (% of respondents in each group)Return Policy Changes That US Retailers Plan to Make During the 2022 Holiday Season (% of respondents)
Return Method Used by US Shoppers, by Purchase Channel, Dec 2022 (% of respondents)

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authors

Sky Canaves

Contributors

Suzy Davidkhanian
Principal Analyst, Retail & Ecommerce
Andrew Lipsman
Principal Analyst, Retail & Ecommerce
Amy Rotondo
Director, US Research